News Archives

Answering the hardest question

Interviews are notoriously stressful. From your resume to your clothes and posture, it is no wonder interviewees often get little sleep before the big day. Augmenting this stress is the fact that one of the hardest questions always comes at the end.

“What questions do you have for us?”

Every job candidate expects it, but it still presents a challenge, especially if the recruiter already covered some of the ones you had prepared. While saying that all of your questions have been answered is clearly not the right response, many find it difficult to think on their feet. Luckily, there are some tried and true themes that can help guide your questions and show the recruiter that you want to know more about the position and organization.

Any place where you spend the majority of your days should share your values, so it helps to ask the recruiter what values …

Continue Reading »

Working in the “social generation”

“Social” often describes millennial interns. Plenty of studies and begrudging comments from adults note that Gen-Y can hardly take a step without tweeting about it. Rather than being born into the social media era, we grew up with it, and are therefore more likely to embrace new platforms of telling people what we are doing and with whom.

For young interns, “social” must take on a second meaning in the workplace. Clearly, it is important to be friendly with coworkers, but our social media presence must evolve as well. A recent article from Careerealism (http://bit.ly/1p78WQa) boldly claims that while social media cannot replace your resume, it is an additional virtual component that employers look at.

Toward this end, make sure your Twitter account is professional. While it may be fun to livetweet the latest episode of “The Bachelorette” (guilty), use your professional twitter to engage in conversations about your field …

Continue Reading »

Top 10 Tips for Intern Interviews (and any job interview for that matter)

Kristen Fuhs Wells is the director of communications and development for Indiana Humanities, a statewide nonprofit that encourages Hoosiers to think, read and talk. She has been interviewing, selecting and managing interns in this role and a previous position since 2007.

Make a good first impression. I can tell a lot within the first five minutes based on your timeliness, appearance, handshake and your first few statements. Smile, speak eloquently, shake hands firmly and dress professionally. Show some personality. You’re competing with a lot of other top candidates – don’t just tell me what you think I want to hear. Give me a reason that I can’t NOT hire you. Tell me you’re the perfect candidate by connecting to our mission, explaining why you love Indiana or how your hobbies make you a more well-rounded person. I always start off asking candidates to tell me about themselves. We’re going …

Continue Reading »

Don’t doubt the power of experience

Summer is here. For me and many other college students, that means transitioning our lifestyles from “college kid” to “intern.”

Having just finished my junior year at Indiana University, the stress of final exams is still fresh in my mind. I’m an advocate of flashcards and all-nighters before the exam, so moving into a full-time internship is an adjustment. It’s strange (but great) that when I get home at the end of the day, I don’t have to crack open a textbook.

A recent study by the New York Federal Reserve, however, makes me reevaluate some of those all-nighters, and makes me even more grateful for my internship experience thus far. Three economics professors from University of Wisconsin La Crosse, University of Pennsylvania and Auburn, respectively, sent out more than 5,000 fake resumes for online jobs to see what employers were really looking for when hiring graduates.

The results? Only …

Continue Reading »

Summertime brings new Indiana INTERNnet intern

As we begin to finally thaw out from what seemed like the longest and coldest winter, signs of spring and summer are everywhere. The trees are green, the air is fresh and the pollen count is high.

With these new beginnings comes a new season of summer interns, including myself. Now that my first days as Indiana INTERNnet’s Marketing and Special Events Intern is under my belt, I am ready for the learning experiences that await me this summer.

Having just finished my junior year at Indiana University in Bloomington, I am excited to return home to Indianapolis for the summer to continue the learning process. My previous internships in marketing and public relations at home in Indianapolis and abroad in London helped greatly strengthen my workplace experience, and I know those experiences will only grow during …

Continue Reading »

Feedback